Backpacks are commonly used by students and others who carry even moderately heavy books, papers and other items. Backpacks are also favored by many who transport relatively light loads but prefer to do so in a hands free or relatively unobstructed manner. Backpacks are also favored by individuals who may be required to sit for relatively long periods of time without the benefit of a comfortable chair and at times without even a bench or clean and dry surface to sit on.
In view of the increased popularity of backpacks and the need for creature comfort by a large number of students and others who are frequently forced to sit on uncomfortable wood or metal chairs, there have been a number of attempts to combine the benefits of a backpack with a built-in ground cloth or padded cushion.
For example, a U.S. Pat. No. 5,558,570 of Zirbel discloses a combination backpack and seat device which includes a frame separable into two members. The first member generally supports the backpack of the disclosure and also provides a back rest for a seated user. The second member stores easily within the pouch of the backpack and can be attached to form an L-shaped structure. Once the second member of the frame is connected to the first member, a cushion can be lowered to form a low profile seat which can be used for sitting. The disclosure also provides for comfort and ease in assembly, as well as a lightweight unit which can be easily transported.
A further approach to a combination backpack and seat cushion is disclosed by a U.S. patent of Brougher, U.S. Pat. No. 6,244,481. As described therein, a seat cushion comprises a large pad with a plurality of pocketed flaps attached thereto and foldable on the pad perimeter over the pad for carrying or away from the pad availing the pad as an unobstructed seat cushion. The flap pockets are directed inward toward the pad such that when the pad is in use as a cushion on a hard chair, such as a student's desk, the pockets are directed toward the user for convenient access. The most outside flap shares a zipper with the pad and when closed defines a cavity within in which the other flaps are secured, folded alternately over the pad. The cushion is transported on the user's back in the normal manner of a backpack by two arm loops through which the user may place his arm and shoulders, respectively, thus bringing the pad against the user's back as a cushion.
A more recent approach to a combination backpack and cushion device is disclosed in a U.S. Patent Application Publication of Gillespie, No. 2007/0084891. The Gillespie Publication discloses a combination backpack and seat cushion including cushion operatively connected to a pair of functional backpack sections. The cushion is sandwiched between the backpack sections at a first configuration and further separates the backpack sections into a more linear configuration at a second configuration. The backpack sections include compartments for carrying books or other articles. The invention may be carried as a traditional backpack at the first configuration. At the second configuration, the cushion may be placed on a chair seat and back rest while the connected backpack sections may be strapped out of the way below and behind the chair.
Notwithstanding the above it is presently believed that there is a need and a potential commercial market for a multi-functional backpack with a pleated cushion attached thereto in accordance with the present invention. It is believed that there is a need and a potential market for these improved backpacks and cushion assemblies because they are multi-functional, applicable for chairs of various designs, chase lounges, usefulness on the ground and applicable as an umbrella which is relatively unaffected by wind, rain, sleet and hail. In addition, the backpack and pleated cushion assemblies in accordance with the present invention are rugged, durable, compact and relatively easy to securely attach to a chair or the like and to manufacture at a competitive cost.
Further, it is presently believed that the backpack and pleated cushions in accordance with the present invention are applicable to buses and bus station seating, trains and train station seats, restaurant seating, shopping center seating, school desks and chairs, folding metal chairs, hospital seating, stadium seating, seats on the ground or benches, seating on the floor or seating on the grass, on plastic chairs, cement and the like. The backpack and pleated cushions also protect a user from wet, dirty, cold, hot, hard and uncomfortable surfaces.